HEALTHY FLAPJACKS

I’m an avid baker, and I’m always searching for uber-healthy recipes. This is one of my own recipes for healthy flapjacks, resulting from many previous experiments. It’s packed full of fibre, protein, essential fatty acids and slow-burn energy, as well as being the perfect snack to satisfy your sweet tooth.

This recipe uses dates to help stick the flapjacks together and remove the need for additional sweeteners. I like to use this particular combo of dried fruit, nuts and seeds but the nature of flapjacks allows for a bit of a ‘pick n’ mix’ when it comes to ingredients. These are brilliant as breakfast bars or for when you need a bit of a sugar hit anytime throughout the day (my family always bring a couple when heading out on a bike ride).

INDREDIENTS:

150g dates

75g coconut oil, melted

25g sunflower seeds

25g pumpkin seeds

25g almonds, chopped

25g walnuts, chopped

50g dried apricots, chopped

150g jumbo oats

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

METHOD:

Heat oven to 170oC*. Grease a baking tin with coconut oil.

Measure the dates into a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for 5 mins to soften.

Meanwhile, coarsely mince the apricots, nuts and seeds, setting aside into a large bowl for later. This is also a good time to melt the coconut oil.

Tip the dates – minus the soaking water – into a food processor and blitz until finely chopped and sticking together in clumps.

Pour the melted coconut oil into the food processor and blitz once more until smooth.

Place all the ingredients into the large mixing bowl and give a thorough toss together, before pressing the sticky mixture firmly into a baking tin.

Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin, before chopping and storing in an airtight container. Will last for about a week.